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Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

25 Colleges
$7,885 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$39,468 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree School for You

With 54,790 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022, precision metal working is the #7 most popular major in the United States.

It's not easy to decide which trade school program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 25 schools in the Plains States Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for precision metal working students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 10 Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found Southeast Community College Area to be the best value school for precision metal working students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Plains States Region . Located in the large city of Lincoln, Southeast Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southeast Community College are $3,864 per year. The average amount in student loans that precision metal working majors at Southeast Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $11,554.

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#2

Hennepin Technical College

Brooklyn Park, MN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Hennepin Technical College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Hennepin Technical College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Hennepin Technical College are $5,881 per year. The average amount in student loans that precision metal working majors at Hennepin Technical College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $16,303.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Anoka Technical College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Anoka Technical College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Anoka.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Anoka Technical College are $6,075 per year. Precision Metal Working majors at Anoka Technical College take out an average of $10,404 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Anoka Technical College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means St Cloud Technical and Community College is a great value for precision metal working students working on their associate degree. St Cloud Technical and Community College is a small public school located in the city of Saint Cloud.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at St Cloud Technical and Community College are $6,075 a year.

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#5

South Central College

North Mankato, MN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Central College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. South Central College is a small public school located in the small suburb of North Mankato.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Central College are $6,146 a year.

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#6

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN

Ridgewater College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for precision metal working students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Ridgewater College is a small public school located in the remote town of Willmar.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ridgewater College are $6,114 per year.

Ridgewater College also claimed a spot on our Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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With a ranking of #7, North Dakota State College of Science did quite well on this year’s best value schools for precision metal working students working on their associate degree. Located in the distant town of Wahpeton, North Dakota State College of Science is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Dakota State College of Science are $6,879 a year. The average amount in student loans that precision metal working majors at North Dakota State College of Science take out while working on their Associate Degree is $10,193.

North Dakota State College of Science also claimed a spot on our Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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#8

Central Community College

Grand Island, NE

Central Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Central Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Grand Island.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Community College are $4,710 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, precision metal working majors at Central Community College accumulate an average of around $5,143 in student debt.

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Hawkeye Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the small city of Waterloo, Hawkeye Community College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Hawkeye Community College are $6,583 a year.

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Lake Area Technical Institute landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree precision metal working programs. Located in the remote town of Watertown, LATI is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at LATI are $6,718 a year. On average, precision metal working graduates from LATI take out $10,719 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, LATI also is in the top 10% of our Best Precision Metal Working Associate Degree Trade Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.

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Best Precision Metal Working Colleges by State

Explore the best precision metal working colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 1,056
Missouri 604
Minnesota 948
South Dakota 106
Iowa 737
North Dakota 185
Nebraska 453

Precision Metal Working is one of 5 different types of trade school programs to choose from.

Precision Metal Working Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Welding Technology/Welder 46,029
Machine Tool Technology/Machinist 3,181
Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Machinist Technology/CNC Machinist 2,275
Machine Shop Technology/Assistant 1,588
Tool & Die Technology/Technician 541
Metal Fabricator 413
Sheet Metal Technology/Sheetworking 319
Ironworking/Ironworker 226
Other Precision Metal Working 218

Related Major Annual Graduates
Woodworking 435
Other Precision Production 67
Leatherworking & Upholstery 46
Precision Production Trades 44
Boilermaking 29

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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